Method of and apparatus for forming articles



. 1,696,242 F. s. KOCHENDORFER METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING ARTICLES Filed Dec. 20, 1924 2 Sheets-Shept 1 Dec. 25,1928.

F. s.' KOCHENDORFER KETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1924 I flm dem'cuifwc zen; 0 61 i used advantageously as a reinforcing insert Patented Dec. 25, 1928.

N ITEDJ STATES FATE NT OFFICE;

rnnnnmc iixflnexocimnnoiirEa; or RIVER roaesr, rumors, ass'renon r wns'mnn mom-mo comran INCORPORATED, err-raw YORK, n. Y.-', A conroaa tron or New YOR 1 mam-Hon or ann ArPAnATUs FOR FORMING ARTICLES.

Application filed December 20, 1924. .Serial No. 757,252.

This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for forming articles, and more particularly to a method of and apparatus for producing areinforcing'insert for use in a telephone transmitter mouthpiece.

The objects of theinvention are to provide-an improved method of and an improved apparatus for forming an article.

According to the main features of the invention, a sheet of metal is fed into .a two- 'position metal working apparatus. A. plurality of concentrically arranged ringsot circular perforations are produced in the sheet while in the first position, the perfor tions in each ring being uniform, but gradulv ally increasing in diameter from the inner to the outer rings. The perforated portion of the sheet is then advanced to the second position where a combined forming and blanking mechanism, in a continuousseries of operations preliminarily forms or cups the .portion,-blanks or severs it from the.

sheet, shapes it into a cylindrical. form, and then removes the bottom from the cylinder. An artlcle formed in this manner may be for a telephone transmitter mouthpiece, such as that described in my copending application, Serial No. 757,281 filed December 20, 1924. i

The invention will be more fully-understood from the accompanying drawings, in which i 1 is a front elevation ofa mechanism embodying the invention and which may be used for performing the process; i

Fig. 2 is a sectionalviewi along the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the preliminary step of the. forming. operation; i

Fig. 3 shows the metal sheet after perfora-i tion thereofyw Fig. 4 shows the forming mechanism in its final advanced position;

Fig. 5 shows the forming mechanism in its normal position with a completed article in process of being ejected, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the finished article. V

Referring now to-the accompanying drawings in which like numerals are employed to designate similar members throughout the several views, the numeral 10 refers generally to the main frame of a double action press wherein a beltll leading to a suitable source of power (not shown) drives a pulley 12, which through its shaft 18 and suitable gearing (not shown) drives a geared fly wheel let. A shaft integral with the-fly wheel 14- has keyed thereto a pair of eccentrio rollers 16 which areadapted to engage.

a pair of rollersl'? which are mounted on an outer slide memberl8 and whichouter slide is adaptedto be forced downwardlyby the action of the rollers 16. Suitable guiding members 19 are provided, for the outer slide member 18 and. suitable meanstnot shown) are provided for raising it after it:

has been projected downwardly by the ac.-

tion of the eccentric rollers 16.1 An inner slide member 20 is maintained in engagement with an eccentric portion of the shaft- 15 b' eccentric straps 21. Suitahlyplaced on t 1e frame 10 is albolster 22 carrying a die bed 23;

The outer slidcmember 18 carriesa pair of punch members 25 and26. whose purpose will'be more fully explained hereinafter, and the inner slide actuates an inner' nmch member 27. i The punch member '27 is adapted to extend farther downward than.

the punch member 26 as shown more clearly in FlgSJfl aud o and as will be explained more fully hereinafter. This inner punch member is equipped with a centering pin 28 and a plurality of knock-off" pins 29 which may be actuated by. springs 30. The die bed 23 supports a perforating die 8%") and a combined blanking and formingqdie The blanking-and forming die comprises a ring member generally designated as'ii'i' having forming shoulders 38 andia cutting edge 39. Another ring member, 40

is adapted to be carried downwardly against springs 41 until it rests on theshoulder ofthe diet. i p

It is thought that a description of the apparatus and its operation will show in detail the manner in which the. improved process is practiced. The first step in the operation is a perforating of the metal sheet 45 in the perforating die, comprising the punch member 25 and the lower die member 35. After this operation the metal sheet presents the appearance shown in Fig. This part of the sheet 45 is then placed in the forming die 36 and centered therein by means of the pin 39. The slide member 18 in descending, due to the action of the rollers 16 and 17,.ca11ses themetal 15 to be engaged between the member 26 and the shoulders of the ring member 37, and the perforated portion of the sheet is thereby preliminarily formed or cupped as shown in Fig. 2. As soon as this forming step is completed the portion of metal is sheared from the sheet on the dotted line in Fig. 3 by the cooperation of the shearing edge of memberQG and the shoulders 39 ofthc ring member 37. The outermost series of perforations are thus partly cut away and the subsequent forming operation is expedited. Thereafter the eccentric portion of the shaft 15 causes the descent of the inner slide 20 carrying the inner punch member 27 to complete the formation of the article as represented in Fig. at. \Vhen the ring member 40 engages the shoulder 50, as represented in Fig. l, the bottom portion of the formed metal is severed therefrom as shown in this *view. hen the member 27 returns to its normal or uppermost position the springs 41 expand, actuating the ring member 40 to cause the shapedmetal article tobe ejected as represented in Fig. 5, the severed bottom portion being allowed to drop by gravity through the aperture between the springs 41. In

case the severed bottom portion should not he released immediately from the punch member 27 as soon as such member starts to travel upwardly, the expansion of the springs .30 causes the pins 22) to force such portion free from'the member. It will be noted that the inner and outerslidcs and their associated punchmemliiers 27, 26 and 25 return simultaneously to their normal positions.

The preliminary cupping operation starts a flow of the metal toward the portion containing the perforations shown in Fig. The result is that the subsequent forming operation will not cause a drawing of the metal, but the metal will continue to flow after it has been severed from the main sheet in the same direction that it was caused to take by the preliminary cupping, The metal is therefore of substantially the same thickness after the forming operation is completed as it is originally.

lVhat is claimed is: 1. i The method of forming an article from a sheet of material, which consists in producing concentric circles of graduated perforations in the sheet in which the outer perforations are larger tban the inner perforations, preliminarily forming the perforated portion, severin the formed portion from the sheet, and further forming the severedportion into an article by contracting the area of the material in proportion to its distance from acentral point.

2. In an apparatus for forming an article from a sheet of nlaterial, means for producing concentric circles of perforations in a portion of a sheet, means for preliminarily forming the portion, means associated with said forming means for severing the portion, means forming confining walls constituting a funnel shaped enclosure, and means for drawing the portion into the funnel shaped enclosure to give the portion its final form. t

The method of forming an article from a sheet of material, which consists in forming groups of perforations in a sheet of material and contracting the area of the sheet by partially closing the perforations of certain of said groups.

4.'The method of forming a tubularrcinforcing insert from a sheet of metal, which consists in producing concentric circles of graduated perforations in the sheet, the outer perforations being larger than the inner perforations, preliminarily forming the perforated portion, severing the formed portion from the sheet, and further forming the severed portion by distorting the material along the lines of the concentric perforations.

5. The method of forming a tubular member from a sheet of metal, which consists in producing concentric circles of perforations in the sheet, preliminarily forming the perforated portion, severing the formed portion from the sheet along the outer circle of perforations, and further forming the severed portion by contracting the material along the outer circles of 'pcrforations and bending it adjacent the inner circle of perforations.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 11th day of December, A. 1)., 1924.

FREDERIC SHIELDS KOCHENDORFER. 

